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Thread: Outdoor friend with injured front paw

  1. #1
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    Default Outdoor friend with injured front paw

    Hi everyone,

    My favorite and closest squirrel friend ("Rings") has an injured front paw. I hadn't seen her in a while, and when I saw her this morning, I was shocked to see that one of her front paws is hurt. She doesn't seem to have control of the paw part, but she can still move the arm. I watched her try to bury a nut and she was digging with just her good paw. Needless to say, I am now sick with worry. She is fairly tame with me-- I feed her nuts by hand all the time and she will run up to me. What could have happened? What should I do?

    Thank you!
    Beth

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    Default Re: Outdoor friend with injured front paw

    Hi! They are pretty resilient. The best you can do is support her with good food and easy access to water so she doesn't have to forage too much while healing. Can you get any of the commercial rodent blocks or maybe order something from Henry's that would give her a nutrient boost?
    "I hope everyone got or gets their Baby Love today"~Shewhosweptforest

    https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

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    Default Re: Outdoor friend with injured front paw

    Quote Originally Posted by Chirps View Post
    Hi! They are pretty resilient. The best you can do is support her with good food and easy access to water so she doesn't have to forage too much while healing. Can you get any of the commercial rodent blocks or maybe order something from Henry's that would give her a nutrient boost?
    Unfortunately Rings seems to be a very picky eater. I have bought Henry's Wild Bites before and she turned up her nose at them. I occasionally put out fruit for a treat, and she's rarely interested in any of it. (Apple, grapes, oranges) Other squirrels will gobble them up. I also have Harlan Teklad but have had no success getting any of the squirrels to eat it. Do you think I should try Henry's Picky blocks? Her favorite nut seems to be pecans.

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    Default Re: Outdoor friend with injured front paw

    I managed to grab this cell phone video of Rings' injury. https://youtube.com/shorts/CX0Z0GJi_gY?feature=share
    How do these injuries occur?
    Thanks again!

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    Default Re: Outdoor friend with injured front paw

    There are so many things that could have happened - got her foot caught in something, etc.

    I usually just try to stuff them as full of food every time I see them. Squirrels are amazingly lazy if all of their food needs are met and they don't HAVE to look for food, and a squirrel that is curled up in their nest is one that is likely pretty safe. It will keep her out of the eye of predators until she is well enough to outrun them.

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  8. #6
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    Default Re: Outdoor friend with injured front paw

    I was advised by a rehabber to use, 'Arnica montana' homeopathic remedy for muscle damage for a our yard squirrel's injured arm. The Squirrel fully recovered.

    For potential broken bones, adding a bit of calcium citrate powder ("Pure Bulk") onto a separate nut misted with water, lends support to bone healing.


    Arnica 30 C by, "Borion"; available on Amazon and other stores that carry vitamins.

    https://www.amazon.com/Boiron-Montan...1&s=hpc&sr=1-8

    Calcium Citrate Powder; third party tested USA:

    https://purebulk.com/products/calciu...SAAEgJ5-vD_BwE

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  10. #7
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    Default Re: Outdoor friend with injured front paw

    Quote Originally Posted by Diggie's Friend View Post
    I was advised by a rehabber to use, 'Arnica montana' homeopathic remedy for muscle damage for a our yard squirrel's injured arm. The Squirrel fully recovered.

    For potential broken bones, adding a bit of calcium citrate powder ("Pure Bulk") onto a separate nut misted with water, lends support to bone healing.


    Arnica 30 C by, "Borion"; available on Amazon and other stores that carry vitamins.

    https://www.amazon.com/Boiron-Montan...1&s=hpc&sr=1-8

    Calcium Citrate Powder; third party tested USA:

    https://purebulk.com/products/calciu...SAAEgJ5-vD_BwE
    Thank you! I will try both. How did you administer the Arnica montana?

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    Default Re: Outdoor friend with injured front paw

    Quote Originally Posted by CritterMom View Post
    There are so many things that could have happened - got her foot caught in something, etc.

    I usually just try to stuff them as full of food every time I see them. Squirrels are amazingly lazy if all of their food needs are met and they don't HAVE to look for food, and a squirrel that is curled up in their nest is one that is likely pretty safe. It will keep her out of the eye of predators until she is well enough to outrun them.
    So is this something that squirrels generally recover from? Should I consider trying to get her medical attention?

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    Default Re: Outdoor friend with injured front paw

    Quote Originally Posted by Scrappy Doo View Post
    So is this something that squirrels generally recover from? Should I consider trying to get her medical attention?
    Based on the video I would say given time she will heal up okay. As CM says, support her with lots of food and don't forget clean, fresh water. You don't want her to have to travel farther than necessary for water.

    If you decide to have her seen, have a thorough plan in place ahead of time. And be confident an intervention is necessary, because you are risking losing her trust. Bringing these wilds to a vet clinic for treatment is often very traumatic for them.

    You'll need a squirrel safe vet or a good rehabber that can help. She'll need to be kept in a warm, dark and quiet space.

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    Default Re: Outdoor friend with injured front paw

    Thank you! I will try both. How did you administer the Arnica montana?
    For homeopathic remedies, dissolve in a small Tsp. fraction of pure water. Then place 1 droplet on a small piece of pecan or walnut three times a day if the squirrel is willing of course.

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    Default Re: Outdoor friend with injured front paw

    Quote Originally Posted by Diggie's Friend View Post
    For homeopathic remedies, dissolve in a small Tsp. fraction of pure water. Then place 1 droplet on a small piece of pecan or walnut three times a day if the squirrel is willing of course.
    Thank you! I just gave her a dose a little while ago. Do you remember about how long it took for your squirrel to recover?

  17. #12
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    Default Re: Outdoor friend with injured front paw

    Thank you everyone for all your expertise and advice! I can't tell you all how much it means to me.

    Rings came by yesterday and ate a ton of pecans. She is much more skittish than normal but she warmed up to me as I sat there and handed her the pecans. I also noticed that she has some missing fur on her forehead. Perhaps she injured her paw in a fight with another squirrel.

    This morning I was able to give her some of the Arnica montana that Diggie's Friend recommended. It didn't seem like Rings ate as many pecans as she did yesterday, but she probably had at least 8 pecan halves. She was a little more skittish today and didn't really warm up to me like yesterday.

    Are there any ways to tell if it is a muscle/tissue injury or broken bones?

  18. #13
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    Default Re: Outdoor friend with injured front paw

    I had a friendly wild with pretty much the same injury last year. She could move her arm but not her paw, had a visible bump on the inside of her wrist (might've been the site of a fracture), and was only using her paw to sort of balance her food but not to hold it.
    There's a video of her here, and pictures in the thread here, if you want to compare.

    All I really did was provide food for her and keep an eye on it. After about 2 +1/2 weeks she was starting to put weight on it again and hold food. Hopefully you'll start seeing improvements in Rings in a couple weeks!

    She may be skittish with you because she's hurting or knows she's compromised right now. I've got another friendly wild who just had an abscess on his head; he's been way more cautious with me than usual. Could also just be the changing weather.

    I dont think we can know for sure if it's a sprain or a fracture without an xray.
    Just keep feeding her, that's probably the best thing you can do.

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